Diary of a Virus. What to Believe?

I had previously referred to these posts as "Diary of a Pandemic". But it seems that designation, like so many things in our world right now, is up for debate. Apparently the definition of pandemic is fluid, and changes with the times, perhaps to support a particular narrative. I don't know. In any event, I'll just refer to it now as a virus, which is something I think we can all agree on.


The longer we are in this situation, the more things seem to change. In the last week I've noticed great arguments debates about whether stores should reopen. About getting people back to work. It's too soon. It's not soon enough. We argue about the statistics. About whose fault it is. Is the President doing too much. Is he doing enough. This must really be all his fault, after all. (I make that last remark with a great deal of sarcasm; it is not his fault.)


In the beginning we were told that this virus came from bats or from a wet market in a tiny remote village in China. The only thing about that theory which we now know to be true is that it came from China. In the beginning, the biggest reaction to the virus was fear. Once we learned that the virus is man-made, fear was replaced with anger. Or perhaps it is more correct to say that we added anger to our fear. And that is not a good mix.


I cannot say with any degree of certainty who or what or why or how this virus came to be a part of our lives. But it is a part of our lives. People are getting sick. Some of them are very sick. And many have died. But what is also true is that many, many people are recovering.


The news media has had a field day spreading blame and stirring up panic. They are quick to report sicknesses and deaths, and to misreport information, perhaps to fit their own personal narratives. Again, I don't know the who or what or why or how. But oh, how I miss the days when the news media reported "just the facts, ma'am".


We're living in a crazy world. We're bombarded with a 24-hour news cycle and with social media posts, many of which have no basis in fact. It's hard enough to try to keep yourself and your family healthy and well fed, without having to constantly battle news reporting to try to discern truth from error.


In these challenging time, there is one truth - one firm foundation - we can hold on to: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8 NASB)


How thankful I am for that unchanging truth.